


A Coat

by ChingKittyCat



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death, Gen, Loneliness, Oneshot, Post-Canon, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 06:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11731296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChingKittyCat/pseuds/ChingKittyCat
Summary: "Hello there! You seem a bit chilly this evening. Can I interest you in a coat? Made out of one-hundred percent genuine monster pelt! It will always keep you warm, no matter if you're frozen in ice or on the top of a mountain peak! Only coat of it's kind, you won't find something like this anywhere else!"





	A Coat

    I was not born, I was made.  
    In the deep space, I was handmade and crafted. I was built atom by atom, ever so delicately. I was thought of, and I came to be. Of exploded stars and dust of comets that the air before me was, it replaced to hold my new existence. Like a tiny droplet in the bucket of existence, I was created. Beautifully and peacefully brought into life by my creator. Who, upon seeing me, gave an elated smile at his handiwork. At me. That moment, I knew true and unadulterated happiness. Nothing could compare to the brightness he displayed and looked down upon me with. No supernova or sun.  
    I would do anything for him. He is my creator and life giver, for the thought of him brings nothing but pleasantries and calming to me. I love him. I love him, no matter where I may be sent or what I do. I hold faith I may see him again, to hope he may smile down upon me once more. That I may cause him to love me in return is all that I ask, if not that, then for him to derive more happiness from my creation.  
    He is in my thoughts as I wake, work, and drift to sleep. I am true and loyal to him. To the things he says through the intercoms or to those who echo his words to me. I know if I work hard enough, I shall see him. That has to be how it works, as that is what he told me to do. To work, to work and to work until I can work no more. That is exactly what I do.  
    My work is simple. I am sent out to places, do as I am requested, then I return home through a beam of light that envelops my body. Some days, it is harder than others to work. I will get injured from one reason or another, and it makes work hard until I am able to go back to the safety of my metal home. But no matter if I limp or if I cannot bring myself to work as efficiently as possible, I still work. No matter how long it takes, I am diligent. I work until I have completely succeeded in my task.  
    Work is all I have. Everyone but me, him, and one certain other, speak in strange noises I cannot understand. Sometimes it feels horribly lonely, not being able to understand what other things are saying. But I figure they cannot understand me either, which is why they glare and hiss at me whenever I speak to them. I am a solitary creature, the one other who can talk to me assured, I don't need much company. I know this one other— the one who sends me out to work— is correct. I do not need any company. My thoughts of him are enough for me.  
    He is what keeps me warm, what keeps me going. My love for him is what allows me to move even if I am incapacitated. Even if I sicken and weaken, I'm sure he would keep me going. I'm sure. He is the blood in my veins. He is the light of day, the lack of light at night. He is everything, nothing, and reality itself for me. I love him so much.  
    Things were nice, I know. Everyone was happy. I was happy. I didn't see him, but I knew he was happy too. When everyone was happy, it meant he was happy too. I was happy. I was happy a lot. I was happy when I was working. I was happy, a little bit lonely if, but happy. I was happy because somehow, even if slightly, I had made him happy too. It brought me euphoria when I thought of it. Peace of mind, satisfaction, and a large, fuzzy feeling that you get when one does something selfless for another.  
    It was like this a lot. It was beautiful. It was so, so beautiful to feel that way for so long.  
    Some days, in our safe home of steel, there would be loud wails and lights of red, flaring and lighting the rooms like fire. The screaming filled every single hall, no matter where I would wander. Then, it would stop as quickly as it would start and I would think nothing more of it. In good faith, I would never panic. During the first time I heard the screeching and saw the lights, I was with him still.   
    He told me they were nothing more than 'fools coming to greet their demise', and that I should never fear them. It made me weak if I am to fear such things, and he didn't want me to fear anything. No fire-like light, no screaming, nothing should ever cause me fear, he said. So, fear nothing I would. No screaming has ever stopped me from doing my job, no light of fire has ever stopped me either. Nothing, nothing has ever stopped me.   
    I did not stir or fear any when the lights and screaming did not stop one time, though. I thought of them as nothing. As passing, as usual. Everyone else did as well, I know. I can tell from the way everyone went on their business as usual. The screaming was nothing more than an annoyance to me, to them, and probably to him as well. That thought, for him to be displeased.. I didn't dwell on it, I didn't want to think about it then.  
    When I was about to be sent out to do my job, a tremor rocked my haven for a second. The sound of something I had never heard pierced my ears and buzzed my thoughts. I shook my head. I am not afraid. For him, nothing such as that will make me scared. The one other who could talk to me looked at me, some strange sorrow twisting onto their face. They told me what I was to do. Then, I left to go work.   
    I had appeared in a blaze of glory to my place of requested work. A long, stretching plain of rock and stone greeted my eyes, with buildings and other such things around. Trees, grown like weeds, pierced from the rocks like shaggy and malnourished arms; their branches twisted and broken fingers. The buildings were the color of charcoal, the same as the trees. There were so many buildings, so many things that looked towards me in agape awe.   
    I did exactly as I was told. I ran through the buildings, I disregarded the screaming that followed, and did not look back as the light of fire followed me around every corner. I let aloud a mighty cry, fire gracing my very breath as I did so. My work is very easy sometimes. Especially like this, when the task is ever so simple. Just make sure everything is on fire. It is not very hard when fire chases every step and breath I take. No, not hard at all.  
    When I am done, I return to the pedestal of metal and shininess. It reflects the fire from the other buildings in a beautiful display of colors. I wait, patient. It is taking a lot longer than usual for the light to suck me up, I had thought to myself. I would be patient. I would sit there until the sun reflected the same colors as my fires did. Nothing would happen. No light. Nothing.  
    I would pace, looking towards a near unscorched box of light that showed nothing but white and black buzzing bees on it. Normally, boxes of light would not show this. Especially when I had to go home. They would show something else. Not white and black bees. Then, the box of light stopped the bees, and turned to the same color as ash. Bees no longer buzzed, either.  
    When night had come, the fires outside had died. The only light and noise was from me, then. I waited, I waited on the pedestal, and I kept waiting. Morning came, night came again, then morning again, then night. I waited for so long I was getting worried. I had swallowed up my fear, thinking about him was enough to do so. But as I sat there, waiting as the sun brought light then disappeared with it over and over again, I got horribly lonely. I didn't like it.   
    I was patient. I was as patient as I could be, and as resilient as I could be. It was a test, I told myself. They're making sure I still love him enough to wait long enough to come back to the safe haven he had melded together. I was to be like a bud of a flower, waiting and waiting until I had the right time to show my colors. I would show how lovely I could be. I just had to wait.  
    My thoughts could keep me entertained, and so could sleep. Sleep, of course, being much more so as time wore on me. My thoughts became much more of a warscape as time waddled on. I wasn't happy anymore, and anxiousness climbed in me as I thought more and more about him. Was he really doing this for a test? Was he doing this because he hated me? He couldn't hate me, I love him! I love him, I have for the entire time I've been alive!  
    Despite the soft crackling of fire from me, I had felt the silence of the nonexistent village was driving me to think these thoughts. I needed to find somewhere new. With new creatures. I would find something. I would come back, then wait more. That's what I had decided. I took my first step off the shiny pedestal in so many days that it felt strange to feel the stone underneath me.  
    Then, I ran. I would remember where the pedestal was so that way I could come back and wait. It wouldn't be too hard. I was very, very good with directions and remembering things. To run again, to dash across the stone plains, though, felt so good. The wind against my face, the almost gleeful song of fire that followed me, everything felt right.  
    I dashed across hills of stone, mountains of steel. I retreated into caves lined with shining rocks when water came from the heavens above. I trekked across stretches of sand that became a shiny, familiar material I had no name for under me. I rolled in the sand sometimes, letting the material form in troves. I'd stare up at the stars when the sun retreated.  
    The stars glimmered, flickered like little lights. I remembered the stars on him. His stars were strong, and they never flickered. His stars were beautiful and luminous. The stars here did not hold a single candle to his. Nothing held a candle to him, really. He was powerful, he was wonderful, and every other complimentary word one can think of.   
    It made me sad to think of him. I don't know why it did. I just felt so horribly lonely without him, being away from the metal place I called home for so long was probably doing it too. I just wanted to be back there, even the thought of being in some proximity to him would be enough. To be in the same safe place as him was enough. That would be enough.  
    I remember when I came across the next creature that wasn't apart of the village I had destroyed. It was the same species as those who lived there, and it was afraid of me. I was very, very scary looking, as I've been told. It ran, and I chased it. When it slowed, I slowed too. I followed it in hopes it would take me somewhere with more creatures. I wanted to be with others. I didn't want to be alone.   
    It lead me to another village, this one had been positioned in a spot between two large steel mountains. From both mountains sprouted the same dark trees, providing little shade to the settlement. This place seemed much more lively and well off than the last, towers of smoke and many more creatures lived in this one. It was bustling, I could tell from looking out upon it.  
    I couldn't walk in there. I wasn't planning on doing so either. I just wanted to be near something. I took to one of the mountains, scaling it through my flying jumps and tenacity. I breathed, letting fire expel from my lungs as I faced the natural steel. I made myself a cave, snug enough to hold myself by doing this. The metal had dripped and slid down the jagged face of the mount.  
    I over looked the buildings. My keen ears picked up on conversations I couldn't understand. I watched as light softly ensnared the village during the night, letting soft glows of surely trapped fire keep the buildings alight.  
    I was somber. I wanted to go home. The metal of my cave reminded me of home. I just wanted to go home. To not have to wait to go home anymore. For this test to be over. I had done my job during the first day, why was I made to wait so many more to come home? Did I have to destroy all the buildings on the planet? The one other who spoke to me didn't tell me to do that, so obviously not.  
    I curled into myself in my cave. I slept, I dreamt about nothing. I awoke, I watched the village, then slept more. It was better than waiting at the pedestal, but somehow it felt worse. It wasn't helping me at all, being there. Yet, at the same time, I couldn't propel myself to get up and go somewhere else. Not even back the way I came, to the pedestal.  
    I wasn't injured. I wasn't physically incapable. I just didn't do it.  
    I spent a multiple days and nights in that cave before I could will myself to get up and walk around the mountain. To walk and run is what I needed. It kept me lively. It felt nice to feel the movement of muscle in my legs. I could hear a scream from the settlement, but that didn't stop me from walking around the mountain I had claimed. I was fearless.  
    The sun is setting now. I'm sitting, watching it. The sky is going red, and if I were to run to the other side of the mountain, I'd see the moon feebly taking shape in the sky. I like the way the sun matches me. The colors of my body. The fire I make. It makes me wonder if the sun is made of flames, just as I am. Perhaps the sun is what I was based on?   
    The sun.. To be based upon the sun, the thing that brings light and life.. Yes, that sounds nice. He based me upon the sun, to light things up and bring illuminate the darkness that others had brought upon their kingdoms. I am beautiful, lovely, just as the sun is.   
    I can hear something. It's not the village. It's not my blaze of flame. It's the noise of something else. Of feet on metal. Yes. There's someone else on the mountain. Behind me. I jump back, swinging around to meet the intruders upon my peak. There's four of them, dressed in clothes of the same hues. They are all of different species, but fairly small and round.  
    I let out a growl at their presence. My fangs bared, jaw opening as a threat for my teeth to lay deep into their flesh. The four of them do not speak at all before beginning their attack. The fact that there's four of them is hard enough for me. I've never dealt with more than one attacker.  
    Horrible, burning pain splashes across my sides before I can even move. I roar and screech, flames erupting from my throat and aiming to raze any of the attackers who stood before me. My inferno was cut short by a column of liquid colliding with my face and mouth. My body burns. My insides burn. My mouth burns. I wheeze and go to run. More pain entombs me.  
    Then, I am unable to move at all. Like a snake, my body is paralyzed by something grabbing me so tightly I cannot will my limbs to move. My eyes are blurring. I hack and wheeze, my tail trashing hard and loudly against the metal of the mountain. I don't know what that'll do to help me. Maybe something will hear it and help me. It hurts so much. The burning.  
    "We are going to be rich!"  
    I don't know what they're saying.  
    "Oh yeah, you know it. Set for life, babes."  
    I can't see properly.. My eyesight is going slightly white.  
    "How many other Fire Lions do you think eNeMeE made before he got destroyed?"  
    "Whatever, doesn't matter! They're like, worth a fortune! Everything else we've got before is like, chump-change compared to this guy!"  
    My ears are ringing. No, I won't be ensnared like this.  
    "Retirement at twenty here we come, babes."  
    The sun has fully set, and the purples and blues of the night have set in. Pain. My eyes, trembling to focus, look to the stars. Everything becomes calm. Everything is silent. I'm no longer restrained. There's no more pain. My mind is clear. My eyes are no longer blurry. The stars become strong. They no longer flick like candles. The stars, the very sky itself, weaves itself into a large fabric. The horizon fades, the ground becomes nothingness.  
    It's him.   
    I was not alone. I was not hated. He was here. It's him, it's really him!  
    I mewl and rush to him through the peaceful nothingness, into his arms. His hands wrap around me, around my back. He pulls me close to his chest, delicately. I am so happy to see him again. I can't contain my purrs, my over-joyous mewls. He lets out a soft chuckle, and my mind is smitten with nothing but pure happiness. I cuddle further into him. Though it had been so long..  
    I love him.


End file.
